In-jokes and references
Blizzard has included many in-jokes and pop-culture references in various forms throughout WoW. ;See also: * In-Jokes and Pop References subpage * Easter Eggs * There is no cow level * List of pop culture references in Warcraft * Blizzplanet list of WoW easter eggs - http://www.blizzplanet.com/?action=Content&pa=showpage&pid=91 Characters A-Me 01 *A-Me 01, a robotic gorilla, is named after the gorilla (Amy) from the book Congo by Michael Crichton. A quest featuring the very same robotic gorilla ("Chasing A-Me 01") is named after a Kevin Smith movie, Chasing Amy by Miramax Films. Alchemist Fuely and Alchemist Cuely * Alchemists Fuely and Cuely are located in The Apothecarium of the Undercity. Their names are a reference to the anime series FLCL, or 'Fooly Cooly'. Alessandro Luca *In the Undercity there is an NPC named Alessandro Luca standing in the Blue Moon Odds and Ends shop. This is a reference from the Swedish name for Gladstone Gander in the Donald Duck series, Alexander Lukas. Alexander Calder *In Ironforge, in the Forlorn Cavern, there is a warlock trainer named Alexander Calder. This is a reference to the famous American sculptor and artist Alexander Calder, attributed with inventing the mobile. Appropriately, there is a mobile in the same room with the character. Algernon *In the Undercity there is an NPC named Algernon. In his right hand he is holding flowers, a reference to Daniel Keyes' short story "Flowers for Algernon" written in 1960. Auctioneers * There is an Auctioneer O'reely in Booty Bay and an Auctioneer Yarly in the Undercity which refers to the popular "Orly" owls. Bankers * The three bankers in Stormwind are named after the lead female actor in the movie 'Grease' - Olivia Newton John. * The male bankers in Ironforge are named for the legendary Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Circus, while Cirque du Soleil provides the name of the female banker. * The bankers in the Undercity have names which reference William Shakespeare. They share the last name Montague, a reference to Romeo and Juliet, it being the first title character's last name. Their First names however are the main characters' names from the Eddie Murphy movie Trading Places with Dan Akroyd. The female banker, Ophelia Montague, is a reference to Shakespeare's character Ophelia from Hamlet, who dies in the story. She is represented in-game as a ghost. Baros Alexston * The Stormwind City architech is named Baros Alexston, possibly named after a MotoGP racer Alex Barros. Similar case may also apply for Alexei Barov and Alexi Barov. Benny Blaanco *In Westfall, in a house in one of the farm, there is a Defias NPC called Benny Blaanco, who is John Leguizamo's character of the same name in the movie "Carlito's Way" (without the extra 'a' in the name). Players usually encounter him while doing The Forgotten Heirloom quest. Blaze Runner * An elite elemental at the top of the mountain in the center of Ungoro Crater, his name may likely be paying homage to the science fiction classic "Blade Runner." Bloodlord Mandokir *The boss Bloodlord Mandokir sometimes says "Ding!" (and occasionally receives a reply of "Grats!" from Jin'do) when he "levels up" while you're fighting him... recreating the exchange heard every day in guild channels throughout Azeroth when guild members level up. Brother Joshua *The name of one of the priest trainer in Cathedral of Light in Stormwind is possibly a reference to a character of the same name in Chrono Crusade. Captain Garran Vimes * In Theramore isle, Captain Garran Vimes, who gives quests regarding the mystery of Shady Rest Inn is a clear reference to Discworld character (Captain, in later books Commander) Samuel Vimes. Next to Captain Vimes, there's a Commander Samaul, whom you meet during the "Missing Diplomat" questline. Clarice Foster *Near the entrance to the Pools of Vision in Thunder Bluff is an NPC named Clarice Foster, an amalgamation of two names - Jodie Foster and Clarice Starling, the character she played in Silence of the Lambs. Colonel Kurzen *Colonel Kurzen is a reference to fictitious Colonel Kurtz in the early 20th Century novel, Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. That novel and character in also the basis for Apocalypse Now's Colonel Walter E. Kurtz, who has retreated to a camp in the Jungle. Dagun *In the quest "The Star, The Heart, and The Hand", players are employed to slay a sea giant called Dagun, which is a reference to the H.P. Lovecraft short story Dagon Deathguard names * Deathguard Terrence and Deathguard Phillip might be named after the comedy duo popular with the kids on South Park. Their names may, however, simply be coincidence since they are only two of twenty-three named Deathguards in Tirisfal Glades (according to thottbot) and are not located near one another. Doctor Herbert Halsey *In Undercity the expert alchemy trainer is named Doctor Herbert Halsey. This is a reference to two key characters: Herbert West and Dr. Halsey, in the pulp horror novel The Reanimator by H. P. Lovecraft. In the book Herbert West creates an alchemical substance that can reanimate dead tissue. Dran Droffers and Malton Droffers *These two orcs who run a salvage shop in Orgrimmar are based on characters from the show Sanford and Son. They resemble Fred Sanford and his son Lamont (as much as a couple of orcs can, anyway), and Dran Droffers talks and acts like Fred Sanford, who ran a junk dealership similar to his. Finally, "Dran Droffers" is an anagram of "Fred Sanford" and "Malton" of "Lamont". Edward and Tyler *In Undercity, there are two NPCs named Edward and Tyler fighting. This references Fight Club, the 1996 novel by Chuck Palahniuk, later made into a movie starring Edward Norton and Brad Pitt. (Edward of course refers to Edward Norton and Tyler refers to Tyler Durden played by Brad Pitt). There are also supporting characters in the area named Robert Gossom, Chloe Curthas and Marla Fowler, references to Fight Club characters Robert Paulson, Chloe (cancer patient) and Marla Singer. *It is also interesting to note that in WarCraft III Undead campaign Chapter 1 there is a place where two civilians named Robert and Tyler (once again referencing Fight Club) are fighting with a large crowd watching. Finkle Einhorn *Finkle Einhorn is a mob in Upper Blackrock Spire. He's a reference to the Ace Ventura, Pet Detective characters Ray Finkle and Lois Einhorn, who (spoiler) turn out to be the same person. Franklin Lloyd *In Undercity there is an engineer named Franklin Lloyd, an homage to the famous architect, Frank Lloyd Wright. Fenrus the Devourer *An Elite wolf in Shadowfang Keep, named after Fenrir, who is a gigantic and terrible monster in the shape of a wolf in Norse mythology. Fenrir was chained by Tyr, and in revenge, he bit off Tyr's hand. There is a chain in the same room as Fenrus is in, lying on the floor. Also, "at the day of Ragnarök, Fenrir will break his chains and join the giants in their battle against the gods. He will seek out Odin and devour him." Ragnarök being the Norse version of the Christian 'apocalypse'. It should also be noted that Fenris wasn't so much named after Fenrir, but they're simply two different names for the same being. Gammerita *An elite turtle in the Hinterlands, the focus of two quests, is named Gammerita, a slight twist on the legendary turtle monster of Godzilla fame, Gamera. Gha-moo-ra An Elite turtle in BlackFathom Deeps. This is a play on Gamera as noted above. Grimlock *One of the mini-bosses found in the instance Uldaman, Grimlok is a trogg whose name is derived from the Tyranosaurus Rex transformer of the same name. He even says a line which the transformer says in "Transformers: The Movie" - that line being "Me Grimlock king!". Groundskeeper Wyllithen *A quest NPC blood elf in Eversong armed with a shovel. A reference to Groundskeeper Willie from The Simpsons. Wyllithen also wears working pants with suspenders and has red hair. Grull Hawkwind *The introductory NPC in Camp Narache, Hawkwind was an important and influentional English psychedelic band who also essentially created space rock. Hadoken Swiftstrider *Is in Camp Mojache in Feralas, a Tauren questgiver. Ha-Do-Ken is a phrase spoken during a special attack by Ryu and Ken in the Street Fighter games. Haggle *The gnome "Haggle" in the Deeprun Tram, will say the phrase: "Forty-two... forty-two... forty-two what? It could be anything! Forty-two... hmmm..." This is a reference to the "Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy" in which the answer to the "ultimate question" is Forty-two. However, the "ultimate question" is more of a mystery, leaving the reader to speculate what question "Forty-two" could possibly answer (The question, of course, is "What is six times nine?"). In the "Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy" book a giant computer is built that could answer the "ultimate question": "what is the answer to life, the universe, and everything?" *The name itself may be a reference to a character in the movie The Labryinth. This movie contains a gnomish character named Hoggle, who is often mistakenly called Haggle in the film. He-Man *The Arathi Basin Battlemaster in Shattrath City is called Adam Eternum as of the October 19 patch to the Burning Crusade beta version. Before that, he was called Adam Heman, an even more obvious reference to Prince Adam of Eternia who becomes He-Man in the Masters of the Universe show. Adam is dressed in the trademark cross-chestpiece, fur panties and boots outfit and carries a sword. With him is a gnome in red called Oric Coe (a reference to Orko) and a Zulian elite tiger mount (a reference to Battle Cat). Hemet Nesingwary *This world-class hunter's name Hemet Nesingwary comes from rearranging the letters in Ernest Hemingway's name. His companions S. J. Erlgadin and Ajeck Rouack are anagrams of J.D. Salinger and Jack Kerouac, respectively. Nesingwary's book, "The Green Hills of Stranglethorn", references Hemingway's "Green Hills of Africa". Hin Denburg *At the zep tower for Undercity, one of the goblins is named Hin Denburg, a reference to The Hindenburg(Lz-129) that blew up at Lakehurst, New Jersey, on 5/6/1937. Jungle Book *In Stranglethorn Vale, the elite panther Bag'theera is a direct reference to the Jungle Book's black panther Bagheera. K. Lee Smallfry, Grand Master Engineer *In Outland, the Alliance Master Engineer's name is a reference to Kaylee, the engineer aboard Serenity in the show Firefly. http://picasaweb.google.com/alcaras.argentus/AlcarasAlpha1/photo#4984868880641884178 Klannoc Macleod *Klannoc Macleod, who is tagged is standing on a rather big island just a bit of the coast in Dustwallow Marsh referes to the four movies and the series called "Highlander". The immortal brothers Duncan and Connor Macleod of the clan Macleod were the main characters in the stories. The weapons used by the immortals were katanas as the only way for them to kill eachother was chopping of heads, the NPC on the island (Klannoc Macleod) is holding a katana. Larion and Muigin *At Marshal's Refuge, there are two characters named Larion and Muigin, a reference to Mario and Luigi. One is short and dressed in red, and the other is tall and dressed in green. Lieutenant General Andorov *When the Rajaxx event begins in the Ruins of Ahn'Qiraj, Lieutenant General Andorov says "Remember, Rajaxx, when I said I'd kill you last? I lied..." This is a reference to a line from the Arnold Schwartzenegger movie Commando. Lifelike Mechanical Toad *The Lifelike Mechanical Toad is a reference to Philip K. Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep. The novel is the basis for the movie "Blade Runner," but the toad is a reference to the novel, not the movie. In the novel, a lone android toad is discovered in a barren wasteland. And in WoW, you can learn how to make one. Linken *Also at Marshal's Refuge is a gnome dressed in green named Linken. He's clearly a reference to Link from the Legend of Zelda games. As quest rewards, he gives you a boomerang plus the option for a sword, both signature weapons from the game. Marduk Blackpool *Marduk Blackpool aka Marduk the Black, one of the optional bosses in Scholomance is a reference to the ancient Mesopotamian Deity Marduk Master Smith Burninate *Located in Thorium Point. The word "Burninate" is an online joke that has been popular ever since the Homestarrunner.com episode of Strongbad Email about Trogdor the Burninator. Maws *Maws is a giant shark boss that players fight as part of the Ahn'Qiraj Scepter quest line. The name is a reference to the movie Jaws. Matt Hooper *Matt Hooper is a fishing trainer in Lakeshire. He is named for the marine biologist in Jaws (played by Richard Dreyfuss in the movie). Nat Pagle *Nat Pagle is named after Blizzard staff member Pat Nagle. Norman Bates * The innkeeper at Undercity and Sepulcher are named Innkeeper Norman and Innkeeper Bates. A reference to the main character of the movie "Psycho", Norman Bates, who is also an innkeeper. Nurse Neela Nurse Neela is the first aid trainer located in Gallows' End Tavern in Brill, in the forsaken starting zone of Tirisfal Glades. She is likely named after a character named Dr. Neela Rasgotra of the TV show E.R. fame. Oglethorpe Obnoticus *Oglethorpe Obnoticus is a reference to the cartoon Aqua Teen Hunger Force. One of its characters is an alien named Oglethorpe, who consults a disco ball named Obnoticus for guidance. (Thottbot) O'Reilly * In addition to the Goblin Auctioneers, there is also a white owl named O'Reilly flying around Narain Soothfancy's hut in Northeastern Tanaris. As mentioned this is a reference to the O Rly owl. Ossirian the Unscarred *Ossirian the Unscarred sometimes speaks lines from the Terminator movies. Patrick Garrett *In Undercity at the inn, the questgiver Patrick Garrett is named after the man who shot Billy the Kid in the back, killing him. Ragnaros *Ragnaros, the elemental fire lord's name, is refering to Ragnarok, which is belived to be the end of the world in Norse mythology. When this happens the world tree, Yggdrasil, burns down to the ground which fits with Ragnaros's power to set things on fire. Also there is the Scandinavian name Ragnar, coming from the word ragn which means 'gods' or 'the ruling'. Remy "Two Times" *Remy "Two Times", NPC in Goldshire, is named after Jimmy "Two Times" - a character of Martin Scorsese's "Goodfellas". They both occasianally repeat some parts of their sentences twice. Rend Blackhand *If you wipe at the Rend Blackhand event in UBRS, Nefarian (Lord Victor Nefarius) occasionally says "served" followed by Rend yelling "woot!". This saying is often used by players after a long battle against a relatively hard boss. *A while later, Rend also yells: "No one touch that corpse! Those boots are mine!" Which is a mockery of the paranoia of greedy players. Sayoc *The weapon trainer in Orgrimmar is named after real-life martial artist Tuhon Chris Sayoc of Sayoc Kali. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sayoc_Kali. Sergeant Hartman the NPC in Southshore who gives halloween quests to Alliance members during that period, is a reference to Sergeant Hartman, the sergent instructor of the movie Full Metal Jacket Short John Mithril *The pirate named Short John Mithril, appearing every three hours in the Gurubashi Arena and placing a lootable treasure chest, is a reference to Long John Silver, the pirate from Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island. Spraggle Frock *A character is named Spraggle Frock, a reference to the show Fraggle Rock. Sprock, Scooty and Jhordy Lapforge *The two goblins that operate the transporter that takes you from Gnomeregan to Booty Bay (and vice versa) are named Sprok and Scooty, a reference to Spock and Scotty from Star Trek. Theres also another transporter operator in Gadgetzan named Jhordy Lapforge, this time a reference to the chief engineer in Star Trek: The Next Generation, Geordi La Forge. Stephen Ryback and Erika Tate *In Stormwind, the cooking trainer and supplier are named Stephen Ryback and Erika Tate, respectively. These NPCs are references to the movie Under Siege, in which Steven Seagal played a cook named Casey Ryback, and Erika Eleniak played Jordan Tate. Techbot *Techbot in Gnomeregan says things the support department would say. It also spawns a critter named "Dupe Bug", a reference to a Diablo II bug. Some of his other spells include "Battlenet" (a snare) and "Lag" (a slowing effect). Battle.net is Blizzard's Internet platform that allows players to play against one another in Warcraft and StarCraft. Lag is the slowing down of an Internet connection. Terry Palin *There is a lumberjack in Elwynn forest by the name of Terry Palin. His name is a reference to Terry Jones and Michael Palin, the two members of Monty Python who wrote the famous Lumberjack song. Thor *In Westfall the gryphon master is named Thor. He is a reference to Thor, the Norse god of thunder. Thunderaan *Many of the things that Thunderaan says are actual quotes from Mike Tyson. Timmy the Cruel *The zombie boss Timmy in Stratholme is a reference to Timmy from South Park. Timmy the Cruel similarly has a habit of yelling his name all the time. There is also a reference to the Timmy in Warcraft III, he is seen in Andorhal in Chapter 4 of the Human Campain. Tomas *In Goldshire there is a low level Cooking trainer named Tomas. This is a reference to the well-known UK-based tour operator Thomas Cook. Topper McNabb *One of the things panhandler Topper McNabb in Stormwind says is "I will gladly pay you on Tuesday for a hamburger today." The character of Wimpy in the Popeye cartoons often said this. *Topper McNabb will occasionally say "It's all their fault, stupid Alliance army. Just had to build their towers right behind my farm". In Warcraft 3, a common tactic to prevent the enemy from easily destroying towers was to place them behind farms so that the enemy units would have to path through the cluster of farms to get to the tower. Torta and Tooga *Torta and Tooga are turtles found in Tanaris. The names refer to Tortuga, which in Spanish means turtle or tortoise. *Tortuga is also the name of a Pirate haven in the Carribean during the mid 17th to the late 17th century. Popularised in the movie "Pirates of the Carribean; The Curse of the Black Pearl". A reference to make light of the proximity to the pirates of the Coast south of Torta. Winstone Wolfe *In Ravenholdt Manor (which is a rogue-specific destination), there is a well dressed but fierce-looking man named Winstone Wolfe. This is a reference to the movie 'Pulp Fiction', which has a character named Winston Wolf, who is a well dressed, fierce-looking character with some roguish tendencies. Williden and Hol'anyee Marshal *Hol'anyee Marshal and Williden Marshal, two NPCs found in Marshal's Refuge, the main quest point of Un'Goro Crater, are references to Holly Marshall and Will Marshall, two main characters of the 1974 television series, Land of the Lost. Yggdrasil *Both the first world tree, Nordrassil, and the night-elves failed attempt to regain immortality, Teldrassil, referes to the world tree of norse mythology Yggdrassil. Quests So many quest titles are in-jokes or references of some form or another that they require their own sub-category! All Along the Watchtowers *Quest in Western Plaguelands, reference to a song by Bob Dylan, made famous by Jimi Hendrix. Triage / Alliance Trauma (First Aid) *Dying soldiers sometimes quote Pink Floyd's Goodbye Cruel Word ("Goodbye cruel world... I'm leaving you today..."). *Some soldiers also claim to see Blue, which is a refrence to the movie Old School ("I see Blue...He looks glorious!) The Absent-Minded Prospector *A quest in Darkshore referencing the film The Absent-Minded Professor Bad Medicine *One of the quests from the rebel camp in Stranglethorn Vale, this is also a title of a song by Bon Jovi. Chasing A-ME 01 *Quest in Un'goro Crater to find the mechanical gorilla, reference to the movie Chasing Amy. (The dialogue of the robotic ape also references the movie Congo.) Cure for Harpies *One of the Quest rewards for killing Serena Bloodfeather in the Barrens is the Zhovur Axe. Zovirax is a tradename treatment for the most common form of herpes, herpes simplex. Deep Ocean, Vast Sea *An alliance quest in Darkshore, this is also the title of a Peter Murphy song. Everything Counts in Large Amounts *A quest located in the Blasted Lands is a line of the chorus in the Depeche Mode song "Everything Counts". Gnome Improvement *A quest in Gnomeregan has the name Gnome Improvement which might be a reference towards the popular mid-90's show called "Home Improvement" featuring Tim Allen and more. Houses of the Holy *Quest in the Eastern Plaguelands named after the classic Led Zeppelin song. Roll The Bones *A quest in Un'goro Crater to find dinosaur bones, which is referencing the Rush song "Roll The Bones" (the title track of their 1991 album.) Along with this, the World of Warcraft credits say "Happy 30th RUSH", as the game was released in 2004 and Rush's debut self-titled album was released in 1974. Staghelm's Requiem *In the Alliance quest Staghelm's Requiem, Athramanis wants the player to kill troll players in the Alterac Valley battleground and "...return to me with their mojo. To reiterate: I want you to steal their mojo." In the second Austin Powers movie, Dr. Evil stole Austin's mojo. The Scrimshank Redemption *Quest in Tanaris, reference to "The Shawshank Redemption" Top Gun *Alterac Valley Wing Commander names Guse, Jeztor, Mulverick, Slidore, Vipore and Ichman are references to Top Gun- movie character names Goose, Jester, Maverick, Slider, Viper, and Iceman. Welcome to the Jungle *Quest in Stranglethorn Vale, a reference to the song by Guns 'n Roses. (Thottbot) When Smokey Sings, I Get Violent *Quest in the Eastern Plaguelands, referencing the song "When Smokey Sings" by ABC, a tribute to singer Smokey Robinson. Thottbot Salve via Mining *Quest obtained in Felwood, referencing the powerful psychoactive plant SALVIA divinorum. (http://www.thottbot.com/?qu=-128) Locations A Tailor to Cities *In Booty Bay there is a tailor shop named "A Tailor to Cities", a reference to Charles Dicken's novel "A Tale of Two Cities". Crystal Lake *Near Goldshire there is a lake named "Crystal Lake", with an NPC named Jason nearby. This is a reference to the popular horror movie series "Friday the 13th", and its homicidal antagonist, Jason Voorhees. Hammerfall *The city Hammerfall is likely to be a reference to the swedish metal band HammerFall. Since Blizzard's art director has created several covers for HammerFall-albums, this reference is quite likely to be true. Un'Goro Crater *The entire zone contains many references to the tv show "Land of the Lost". The entire zone is filled with dinosaurs. Crystals and special Pylons can be found throughout the zone, another feature of the tv show. The name of the Un'Goro Crater is a reference to the real-life Ngorogoro Crater, a region formed by an ancient volcanic caldera in southern Africa, home to the greatest biodiversity on Earth outside of the South American rain forests. The region is ultimately a reference to Sir Arthur Connan Doyle's The Lost World, a novel about Professor Challanger's second expedition into a mysterious land filled with dinosaurs. Tyr's Hand *Tyr's Hand in Eastern Plaguelands is a reference to Tyr, who is an ancient Norse God who lost his hand when the Nordic Gods were playing a trick on Fenrir the wolf. The Gods played this trick by capturing Fenrir and saying it was part of a game, and should let them chain him up as part of the game. Tyr guaranteed the deal by sticking his hand in Fenrir's mouth as a sort of hostage. When Fenrir found out it was a trick, and the Gods would not let him go, Tyr allowed him to bite his hand off. Items Angelista's items *Angelista is listed in the "Special Thanks" section of the WoW credits, and is most likely a friend or relative of a Blizzard staff member. She's had 3 items named after her: Angelista's Charm, Angelista's Grasp, and Angelista's Touch. There also is a shop in Stratholme (you can't enter) that used to belong to a person named Angelista as you can read her name on the shield hanging atop the former entrance. Boomstick The rough boomstick, precisely calibrated boomstick, and lovingly crafted boomstick are all probably references to the line in Army of Darkness: "Now listen up, you primitive screwheads. See this? This... is my boomstick! The 12-gauge double-barreled Remington." Empty Barrel *You can sometimes receive Empty Barrels (tb) as loot from the thunderers and stompers in the northeast of Un'Goro, which is a reference to Donkey Kong. Linken's Sword and Boomerang *The gnome, Linken, offers two rewards at the end of his rather long quest-line: **Linken's Sword of Mastery: In the 'Legend of Zelda' games, it was common to take a weak or powerless sword and to travel all over the world in a quest to restore its power in order to defeat some evil power. The name is a reversal of the common name for Link's sword, "The Master Sword." **Linken's Boomerang: Another common feature is a boomerang, used to stun or disable enemies, or collect far away objects. The 1 Ring *The 1 Ring is clearly a reference to "The One Ring" from the Lord of the Rings books. "The One Ring" was discovered at the bottom of a river by Smeagol (later Gollum) and his brother while fishing. The 1 Ring is a random low-level fishing drop. (Thottbot) The Arcanist's Cookbook The Mage's book for the Dire Maul class trinket is named The Arcanist's Cookbook. This is a reference to The Anarchist Cookbook, the 1970 book that contained instructions on how to make bombs, among other topics. The Emperor's New Cape The final boss of Blackrock Depths, Emperor Dagran Thaurissan, drops a cape called "The Emperor's New Cape". The name of the cape is a reference to a story by Hans Christian Andersen that tells of a vain and greedy emperor who is told that his new clothes can only be seen by the noble and worthy. Being vain and rather dense, he pretends that he can see the clothes. In a parade, a small child points out that the emperor is stark naked. In the end, the emperor realizes that clothes that are only visible to the the worthy are, in fact, no clothes at all. The cape is also invisible. (Thottbot) The Light And How To Swing It The Paladin book for the Dire Maul class trinket is named The Light and How to Swing It. A 1994 album by lounge singer Tom Jones is titled The Lead And How To Swing It. This title was probably inspired by the 1965 Richard Lester film, The Knack...and How to Get It. Malown's Slam Malown's Slam, a hammer which drops off Postmaster Malown in Stratholme, is a reference to former NBA star Karl "The Mailman" Malone. Runn Tum Tuber Surprise Runn Tum Tuber Surprise is a reference to, The Rum Tum Tugger, one of the cats in T.S Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats and the musical Cats. Fight Club There is a rare mace called Fight Club. Presumably in reference to the Chuck Palahniuk book of the same name. Dawn Treaders This pair of cloth shoes is a possible reference to the C. S. Lewis novel "Voyage of the Dawn Treader." Zandalarian Hero Charm/Medallion There is a pair of trinkets called the Zandalarian Hero Charm (tb) and the Zandalarian Hero Medallion (tb) , which is perhaps a reference to the Star Wars species Mandalorian, which are renowned as strong and fierce warriors and mercenaries with an immense capacity for self-healing. It just so happens that the charm trinket boosts your healing spells for a limited time, whilst the medallion trinket boosts your melee and ranged damage. Tusken Helm Tusken Helm is a mail helm that drops from Overlord Ramtusk in Razorfen Kraul. It is apparently a refrence to an item of the same name in the MMORPG, Star Wars Galaxies. The SWG version drops from (you guessed it) Tusken Raiders. It may also be a play on words, considering Razorfen Kraul is full of quillboars, who have tusks. Unstoppable Force & Immovable Object The mace The Unstoppable Force and the shield The Immovable Object are references to the pseudo-physics/philosophical question: "What would happen if an unstoppable force met an immovable object?". Apparently in Burning Crusade, there is a grey mace from random drop, The Stoppable Force. Silly Blood Elf Female *An option in the "/flirt" slash command produces "Is that a mana worm in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?". Originally spoken by Mae West to a police officer, it has been widely used and become something of a snowclone. Blood Elf Male *A possible "/flirt" slash command response is "I know every rose has its thorn, but if you would just pour some sugar on me, we could rock and roll and party every day." These reference the heavy metal songs "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" by Poison, "Pour Some Sugar on Me" by Def Leppard, and "Rock and Roll all Nite" by Kiss Gnome Female *One of the gnome female's "/silly" slash commands results in the her saying: "Some day, I hope to find the nuggets on a chicken." This is most likely a reference to the well-known McDonald's Chicken McNugget food item. This also may be a reference to the Carl's Jr. franchises popular commericals asking where one would find the nuggets on a chicken. Gnome Male *A "/flirt" slash command if you are playing as a male gnome sometimes makes your character say "I like large posteriors and I cannot prevaricate." This verbosely paraphrases the opening line of one hit wonder Sir Mix-a-lot's single hit, Baby Got Back: "I like big butts and I cannot lie." Human Male *One of the human male's "/silly" slash commands results in the following statement: "So, I have this idea for a great movie. It's about two gnomes who find a bracelet of power, and they have to take it to the Burning Steppes and cast it into the Cauldron. They form the Brotherhood of the Bracelet. Along the way they're trailed by a murloc named Gottum, who's obsessed with the bracelet, and nine bracelet boogeymen. It could be a three parter, called 'Ruler of the Bracelet'. The first part would be called 'The Brotherhood of the Bracelet', followed by 'A Couple of Towers', with a climactic ending called 'Hey, the King's Back!'" This is a reference to the Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien. Human Female One of the human female's "/silly" slash commands results in the following statment: "I can't wait until this quest is done and I can look for another Garibaldi artifact." A reference to Alias, with Sydney Bristow always looking for Rambaldi artifacts. Also Garibaldi was the name of Babylon 5’s chief of security. Orc Female *One of the "/flirt slash command options is "You had me at "Zugzug"". This is a reference to two films: Jerry Maguire, in which the title character's estranged girlfriend responds to his appearance and pleas for forgiveness with "You had me at "Hello"", and the delightfully loopy Caveman, starring Ringo Starr, Dennis Quaid, and Shelley Long, which features a "language" including the phrase "zug-zug" to refer to sexual intercourse. Orc Male *Male orc "/silly" slash command: "It's not easy being green." This is the title of a song performed by Kermit the Frog. Tauren Female *"/silly" slash command: "In my native tongue, my name is Dances with Tassels." A reference to the Kevin Costner movie Dances with Wolves. *"Happy Taurens come from Mulgore." The Milk Advisory Board's commercials included the slogan "happy cows come from California." Troll Male *As is pointed out on the Joke page, male troll's "/silly" slash command about killing two dwarves in the morning, and then killing two dwarves at night. This a reference to the sublime song "Smoke two Joints" and follows the same scheme only replaces smoking joints with killing dwarves. [This has been removed by a recent patch for unknown reasons, although it is most likely due to copyright reasons, and probably the fact that it's a reference to potheads, a less-than-savory part of culture that Blizzard probably doesn't want to associate with.] Games, TV and Movies Ace Ventura: Pet Detective Finkle's Skinner is listed as property of Finkle Einhorn, alluding the revelation in Ace Ventura "Finkle is Einhorn! Einhorn is Finkle!" Austin Powers There is a cat critter in the new Naxxramas instance named Mr. Bigglesworth. If you kill it, Kel'Thuzad (himself) will yell "No!!! A curse upon you, interlopers! The armies of the Lich King will hunt you down. You will not escape your fate..." apparently he really liked that cat. This is a reference to Dr. Evil's cat of the same name from the Austin Powers movies. The "Curse" is more than likely a reference to Dr. Evil's line "And when Mr. Bigglesworth is upset...people DIE!" Forrest Gump In Stormwind, there is a flower shop named Fragrant Flowers just east of the Trade District, on the canal between it and Old Town. The man who runs it is named Bernard Gump. Just beneath his name is the title ; Thus, his full title is "Florist Gump", a pun on the name Forrest Gump. In Auberdine (in Darkshore) there is a fisherman by the name of Gubber Blump. This is a play on Bubba Gump Fishing. Ghostbusters *In the Mage Quarter in Stormwind there are three mages sitting in a circle having an extended conversation. Eventually one of them will say “wouldn’t that be bad, like crossing the streams bad?”, a reference to the movie "Ghost Busters". *Egan's Blaster is a ranged-slot item used in the quest The Restless Souls that starts in Eastern Plaguelands. "Use Egan's Blaster on the ghostly and spectral citizens of Stratholme. When the restless spirits break free from their ghostly shells, use the blaster again - freedom will be theirs!" This is also a reference to the character Dr. Egon Spengler from the film. *One of the soldiers stationed at Chillwind Point complains that his job "definitely isn't worth another five thou-a year!" In the movie "Ghostbusters", Winston Zeddmore (Ernie Hudson) says the same thing when his team votes for almost certain death to save the world (while fighing the undead, as it were.) *In the mage-specific quests Investigate the Alchemist Shop (Horde) and Investigate the Blue Recluse (Alliance), the player is asked to search an area for ghosts, fight them, and trap them in "containment coffers." Kill Bill The item, "Hanzo sword" is a reference to Hattori Hanzo, legendary ninja and swordmaker, who plays an important role in Kill Bill vol 1, where the bride gets a sword from him. Also, a gnome rogue called Lefty that can be encountered in Black Rock Deephs during the tier 1.5 arena ancounter has a skill called "Five Fat Finger Exploding Heart", which will deal huge amounts of damage if allowed to stack five times. This is in reference to the technique the bride in Kill Bill learns from her ancient master. Krull At Onyxia's Lair, in the first lava pool you come to on the right side, you can find a floating star shaped glaive and next to it a charred skeleton. A reference to the 80's scifi-fantasy movie Krull in which the powerful glaive weapon was found in a flowing river of lava in a dragon's cave. Matrix Caretaker Alen, an Argent Dawn NPC in Lights Hope Chapel sometimes says: "I should have taken the translucent pill" Nintendo Games *Un'Goro crater is filled with references to old Nintendo games: ** Linken, and the quests he sends players on, are references to the "Legend of Zelda" series, and its protagonist, Link. ** The kodo beast, Dadanga, is a refernce to the very first 'Legend of Zelda' game. One of the early bosses is a triceratops who is weak against bombs. The old man who gives you hints on how to progress says, "Dodongo dislikes smoke.", a trait shared by Dadanga. ** Larion and Muigin, two dwarves, are an amalgam of the characters Mario and Luigi. They are both dressed in overalls of color similar to how Mario and Luigi are dressed in the 'Super Mario Brothers' games. The use of fighting Bloodpetals in their quests refers to Nintendo's original business (dating back to 1889), printing traditional Japanese playing cards called Hanafuda used for a game sometimes known as War of Flowers. Old School During the Horde quest to get 300 First Aid one of the dying soldiers refers to seeing "Blue" which is similar to a Will Ferrell line from the movie. Oz During the Jail Break quest in Blackrock Depths you run across several prisoners named after characters from the TV series Oz. Crest Killer is Chris Keller. Jaz is Jaz Hoyt. Ograbisi is Adebisi. Shill Dinger is Schillinger (interestingly, he appears to be a Scarlet Crusade member while Schillinger is a white supremacist). Finally, Tobias Seecher is Tobias Beecher, a protagonist of sorts in Oz and the only one of these characters you don't kill in the process of the quest. Samurai Shodown Unlike most server names which are taken from characters or places within the game, Haomarush and Genjuros are based on the characters Haohmaru and Genjuro/Genjyuro from the Samurai Shodown games. Magazine features and photos from Blizzard HQ has shown that the company has (or at least has had) a Samurai Shodown setup in the office. Sling Blade "Swamp Eye" Jarl in Dustwallow marsh is looking for a blade, a certain blade... "some folks call it a moonsteel broadsword, I call it a swing blade..." is an almost word for word of Billy Bob Thornton's character Karl in Sling Blade, "Some folks call it a Kaiser knife, I call it a sling blade." Star Wars: Episode One: Phantom Menace (See above for an alternative theory on this reference.) If one inspects the racers in the Shimmering Flats, there is a distinct resemblence to the podracers piloted by Anakin Skywalker and Sebulba. Follow the racers around the track to find skidmarks leading away, towards a cliff face. The racer similar to Sebulba's can be found about halfway up, crashed and swinging on the side of the cliff. The race announcer, a 2-headed ogre named Fobeed, is also a reference to the race announcer in TPM, a 2-headed creature named FodesinBeed (aka Fode & Beed). Star Wars: Return of the Jedi In the Priest specific quest text for 52 Blood of Morphaz, Ogtinc or Greta Mosshoof (depending on your faction) will inform you that, "The green drake Morphaz is known to be immune to all forms of poison and disease -- many druids died to bring us this information." This is a reference to the quote made by Mon Mothma in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi: "Many Bothans died to bring us this information." The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai In The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai (1984), scientists develop a way for a rocket car to pass through solid matter (a mountain). In Thousand Needles not far from the raceway, near the path to Tanaris, you can see skid marks that lead into the side of the mountain. In Tanaris, on the opposite side of the mountain just west of Gadgetzan, the skid marks continue and lead to the crashed wreckage of a rocket car. In the movie, this scene took place on salt flats exactly like Shimmering Flats. The Lost Vikings The three lost dwarves in Uldaman have the names of that of the Lost Vikings (except that Baleog has been changed to Baelog), another game developed by Blizzard when that company used the name Silicon & Synapse. They also drop various items that resembles their characters in the game such as Olaf's All Purpose Shield. The fact that the opening of Ironaya's chamber requires the Shaft of Tsol and Amulet of Gni'kiv, that have the name of "Lost Viking" spelled backwards. The Princess Bride Upon touching the globe that completes the attunement quest for Blackwing Lair, adventurers are greeted with quest completion text that reads "Have fun storming the castle!". This a quote of Billy Crystal's character Miracle Max. In UBRS, during the Rend event, adventurers succesfully defeating waves of enemies are treated to Nefarian crying "Inconceivable!" This is a repeated quote of Wallace Shawn's character, Vizzini, the Sicilian mastermind. One of the flirt voice emotes for the orc male is "This is true love, it doesn't happen every day". This is a quote from the Princess Bride, Westley says it to Buttercup at the start of the movie. In Southshore, the stable boy is called "Wesley", referencing the book and movie. Appropriately, he also has blond hair and carries a rapier. In the Eastern Plaguelands, the priest NPC for t3 gear is Father Inigo Montoy. Terminator 2: Judgment Day The hut to the left of the dock coming inland to Ratchet has a small table in it. The table has a very primitive and lunky looking robotic hand in a glass case. This is an obvious reference to Terminator 2: Judgement Day when the hand from the original The Terminator is displayed throughout the movie. In addition, Ossirian the Unscarred yells "You are terminated!" every time he kills a player who has aggro. Theres also a skeletal hand lying near a river of lava in Lower Blackrock Spire, which is a reference to one of the final scenes of the movie. Captain America The Paladin Talent Avenger's Shield is a reference to Captain America (who is a member of the superhero group known as The Avengers), and his ability to ricochet his shield off of multiple targets and return to him. Category:Blizzard Entertainment Category:Lore In-Jokes and References